Our Appeaser in Chief vs Donald Trump on the Death of Fidel Castro

by Fred Fleitzon November 30, 2016

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President Obama’s statement on the death of Cuban leader Fidel Castro said nothing about how he made Cuba into one of the world’s most brutal dictatorships. Mr. Obama did not mention the country’s abysmal human rights record and thousands of political prisoners. The president also left out how Castro ruined the Cuban economy and teamed up with other dictatorships and rogue states against the United States. Instead, Mr. Obama said:

“At this time of Fidel Castro’s passing, we extend a hand of friendship to the Cuban people. We know that this moment fills Cubans – in Cuba and in the United States – with powerful emotions, recalling the countless ways in which Fidel Castro altered the course of individual lives, families, and of the Cuban nation. History will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and world around him. “

This crafty doublespeak is typical of President Obama’s world view that sees states like Cuba as victims of unjust and exploitative policies by the United States. In his heart, our radical president sympathized with Castro just like he sympathized and appeased the mullahs of Iran. Obama saw Castro as a freedom fighter, not a genocidal dictator and an enemy of the United States.

By contrast, President-elect Trump’s statement about Castro’s passing got it exactly right. Trump said: “Today, the world marks the passing of a brutal dictator who oppressed his own people for nearly six decades. Fidel Castro’s legacy is one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights.”

Bravo, Mr. Trump. This is the kind of plain-spoken honesty and leadership our nation desperately needs after eight years of Barack Obama’s incompetent, dishonest and radical foreign policy.

Fred Fleitz

Fred Fleitz writes for the Center for Security Policy. He is senior vice president for policy and programs with the Center for Security Policy. He held U.S. government national security positions for 25 years with the CIA, DIA, and the House Intelligence Committee staff.

Guest columns do not necessarily reflect the views of Accuracy in Media or its staff.